Why We Howl
by Blackjack1231
Summary: They say that the huntress hates all men, that she would kill a man for even glancing her way. This is not the case, less he is deserving of only death. No, she only believes them to be of a lower standard than one special one, her first friend and her only love. They are rarely apart, and when they are he need only look up at the moonlit sky and call to her. She will always come.


**Prologue**

Wolves howl at the moon, as they always have, because it's what their instincts tell them to do. A trait passed down through generations, originating with him - the loyal friend, the destructive force that moves the shadows around him with nay a thought. Him who could even bend the will of the fates should they try hurting her or those that they cared for together while he had breath left to give. For loyalty, while being a noble trait, was also a harsh and demanding flaw, one that would cause him, and the ones he loved much pain in his long immortal life.

* * *

The goddess stared down into the innocent eyes of the child as she held him in her arms. Eyes so dark that one was hard pressed to see that they were actually a deep and stormy green, and on even closer inspection, had golden specks floating amongst the swirling green, like a fleet of ships fighting against the waves of an angry sea God, desperate to make it home.

After a moment more of simply basking in the childs presence. After committing every feature of his young face to her memory, for it would be that last she would see it in person for a long, agonizing time, the mother spoke. "There are so many things I wish I could tell you, my love. Things you will no doubt yearn to know as you grow in the world of man...and yet these are things I cannot tell you." She paused a moment, trying to keep herself composed, yet despite her attempt, her voice was strained when she spoke again. "There was no easy choice that I could make; staying with me would put you at risk from those around me. Telling your father about you would put you at risk from those around him. Leaving you with the mortals would be a danger for not only you but them as well, you would no doubt attract many-a-monster with your presence as you grow. This is all I can do to keep you safe until time when you can do so yourself, my beloved."

As she spoke she set the child down gently on the forest floor before kneeling down beside him. "You must become strong, my son. Once you gain strength enough you will have the power to break free from the confines I place on you now, but once you do everything will become much more demanding and perilous for you, they will be able to sense your power when you change. To that end I beg you my son, no matter how hard it may be, do not change from this form I place on you until you are able to manifest enough power to protect those you love, lest you put yourself and them in terrible danger..." The woman gathered her strength and the shadows gathered around the mother and her child, blocking all sides bar directly above them so that only the moon above could be seen. She waved her hands over the prone child and spoke as she pushed her powers into him. "Gather your strength as you master this form, my child, a form that exhibits all of your traits, good and bad, for I have seen all that you are and all that you will be. I have seen you grow to be loyal but possessive, gentle yet fierce, calm and yet, holding back a temper so violent that the Gods themselves will tremble at the thought of angering you."

The child cried out as his entire physiology began to shift, as hair began to grow all over his body, his ears lengthened and his facial structure stretched out into a snout. Soon he was a child no more, in the place where he once lay was a wolf so black it seemed to meld with the shadow walls that surrounds the mother and her now wolfish pup. The Goddess waved her hand over him once more and as his eyes began to droop, she gently clasped a silver bracelet around his paw and stoked his fur as she whispered her final words to him,"There is a family on this island that will take you in, I guide them too you even now. They will care for you as you grow, and you will no doubt shape this family for the better with your presence and they will do so for you in return...Goodbye my son, my destructive and playful pup, I will always watch over you as you grow to be the best of them all, guardian of the innocent and the weak. Goodbye my precious Perseus." She stood with watery eyes and as she stepped back away from the now sleeping pup, the shadow cacoon that surrounded the two now converged on her before turning to a thick smoke and disapating into the air leaving no sign of the woman behind.

A few moments passed before the young wolf awoke, and slowly, unsteadily, he rose to stand on all four paws. He glaced around this unfamiliar place, seeing nothing and no one familiar, his natural instincts taking over he started to cry, tears streaming from his eyes but he could no longer make the sounds he once did before. He looked upwards toword the night sky and the brilliant and beautiful full moon that hung like a beacon in the sky, as he did he felt all of his unease and lonlyness crescendo so he did the only thing that he could in his strange new body, he threw his head back and formed the first noise that he could in his new throat and howled as loud as he could at the moon. All his emotions poured out as he howled at the moon, begging it to guide him, to bring him his mother, to do anything to make him not feel alone. He wailed at the moon for help, and the moon answered.

A young girl, no older than five, crashed into the clearing through the tree line with a dagger in her small hands and an excited gleem in her eyes. She instantly paused when she saw him, having expected to find more than a single pup by itself.

She hummed to herself before lowering the dagger and saying dejectedly, "you're no monster. Not even a full pack of wolves for me to fight. So much for holding the glory of a good hunt over my stupid brother." She slowly stalked towards the wolf, confident and graceful in her strides even as young as she was, before she noticed the wolf back away with every step she took. She stoped in place a few metres from the pup, contemplating what her next move should. She could hardly kill it, she thought, it must be the runt, abandoned by it's pack and it was obviously no threat to her.

As the girl stood on in silence her mind preoccupied with what to do with the pup, so too was the wolf in thought. Noticing her halted advance he cautiously sniffed the air and the smell emenating from the girl, finding that he quite liked it he stalked towards her, copying the silent strides she showed moments ago before he was right at her leg and continued to smell around her, before brushing up against her leg.

Jumping in shock, the girl looked down and saw the wolf brushing up against her leg, almost invisible against the shadows casted on the ground by the trees around them. "Sneaky one are you? I didn't even see or hear you move." She paused again, glacning at the wolf before cautiously reaching down to the pup, seeing no aggressive body language she ran her hands through his dark far and smiled as he grumbled contently. Noticing a gleaming silver on his right paw, she reached down and turned the bracelet over in her hands, reading the inscription engraved on it.

"Perseus. Is that your name little one? You must be someone's hunting wolf, but no one else lives on this island of ours, at least mother says as much." She glanced around as if expecting someone to show up and claim the wolf, but no one came. "I suppose you can come to our home and I can care for you while we try to find your owner if you want." The wolf stared back at her blankly so she sighed and turned to walk back the way she came glancing over her shoulder when she noticed that the wolf had yet to move. "Well, come on then Perseus, it's getting late, mother will kill me if I don't get home soon."

The wolf, understood nothing of what she said, only that she was leaving and if she did he would soon be alone again. So he followed the girl and watched as she smiled at him happily and spoke again, "I'm Artemis by the way." Remembering he was a wolf, not capable of speech, she looked sheepish before pointing at him, "You're Perseus." Then at herself, "Artemis. Understand?" Hardly expecting an answer she was suprised as the wolf yiped up at her, causing her to smile once again. "Smart and sneaky, you and I might just make an amazing team, Perseus." She leaned over and pat his head which he leaned up into before taking of again in the direction she came from, the small wolf now following close behind.

As the young Immortal and her new companion walked towards her home, neither could forsee the impact that this one meeting would have on not only their lives, but that of all those they would meet in the future. For while she was smart and powerful, if left by herself could grow distant from all and shun thoughts of love and true friendship. And he, if left unchecked, could grow resentful and lonely, having no one to keep him in check, nor vouch for his character, would also lead to all becoming fearful of the power he holds and what he may choose to do with it.

Together though, they would grow strong. They would have such compassion for those shunned by mortals and gods alike, her taking in all the women she could find that had been betrayed and abused by men. Who, if left to their own devices would either turn out to be exactly as she herself once could have been if not for him or they would be destined to live a life of submission to those that harmed them in the first place. She would teach them that there is hope for them, and should they wait for the right one and not give themselves out to anyone until they were certain, they too could have a companion as loyal as she herself had. While he in turn would become the guardian for this group and any innocent he came across, protecting them from all harm that he could, offering guidence and wisdom, training and friendship so that they too may one day move on from their unfortunate pasts and onto greater futures.

* * *

Wolves howl at the moon, as they always have, because it's what their instincts tell them to do. A trait passed down through generations, originating with him. For as the young, poweful God came to learn, no matter how alone he may feel, or how afraid he may be, the moon, more specifically the Goddess of which was in charge of it, would always be someone he could count on to stave off the loneliness and have his back in any way he needed. For his earliest memory was being alone and afraid, howling at the moon for help, and she was the one that did, and always would, arrive when he needed her the most.

**A/N: Yo, got inspired to write Pertimis and so I did. Will try to not spend too much time in ancient times so don't expect much in the way of that, instead I want to try and bring the setting to the modern PJO timeline and continue from there, while still spending sufficient enough time on Percy and Artemis' past relationship building. **

**Also, I'm currently in the army and on Operational Tour so expect updates to be far and few between. Little time and little energy does not make for quick writing lol. **

**Finally, this is the first time I've written anything, and I mean literally anything, in 5 years. Even before that I've never delved much into creative writing bar for A Levels, as such all grammar corrections and writing tips are much appreciated.**


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